Fighting Gold!
by 4421marr
Summary: It's not always good being born into a family of Pirates. But when Maiko must flee her island because of 'unfortunate events', how will this stubourn child survive? The life of a Pirate is never easy...     " If you don't believe me, I'll make you!"
1. Chapter 1

"_Waaah_," sighed the young brunette as she finished up sweeping the last bits of dirt from the bakery floor "They sky is so dark. I guess a storm is coming soon..." She leaned on the broom, lost in thought.

"Well, I guess I should close early!" She said joyfully, happy at the fact that she wouldn't have to work so hard this day. Humming a catchy tune she heard at the Town Square the other week, the baker quickly finished her job, before placing the broom in the corner. Looking over her work with satisfaction, she wiped the sweat from her brow and grinned.

Just a few moments later, the entire town was pelted with a fierce storm. The woman finished putting away all the unsold delicacies, and was preparing to turn the lights off when the door opened.

That was perhaps the most frightening moment of her young life. The chilling way in which the door seemed to open by itself, before being entered by a mysterious figure, shrouded by the shadows, who dragged a large, bulky object behind them... The shrieks and screams of the violent wind didn't help either. Right when she opened her mouth to yell the figure was bathed in light, and she was horrified for another reason.

"_What a bad dye job_." the woman thought, as a peculiar looking young girl , drenched with water, with dark purple hair streaked with lighter shades trudged in, carrying a rowboat, letting it scrape up dirt and what not from the ground. She was dressed with a rather peculiar fashion-sense, her clothes obviously revolving around the colors black, gold, and white. She wore a short shirt that bared her midriff, her sleeves separated and colored white and black respectively. Her white-gold shirt was rather short, but the polka-dotted black pants made up for it. She had a white belt wrapped around her stomach, and plain sandals on her feet.

"U-Uh... Can I help you?" She asked hesitantly, closing the door. The girl stared at her with blank jade eyes for a long time, before she started sniffling. The next moment she had thrown herself in the baker's arms and was wailing at the top of her lungs.

"_O-Oh dear_." she thought. Within a few minutes she had the sniffling girl wrapped in a blanket, sipping on a ho cup of pepermint tea. Fiddling with her hand, she hesitantly started a conversation with her.

"E-eto... Would you like to talk about what happened?" She sobbed again, and the baker immediately regretted asking

"I-It's a long story..."


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, Okay. This is actually a fanfiction I have posted on a 'private' site, but I have decided to also post it here! This little gem was actually created by a bet, where my friends and I brainstormed for the most normal, but interseting OC character we could come up with. I lost, so I am currently writing a story about her, and have posted her profile on my deviantart account. I will leave the link on my profile. Enjoy, and comment are aprreciated!

Disclaimer: The only think I own are my Oc's, and the basic plot.

...

"_GOLDEN FLAME!"_

"_KYAAAAA!"_

The small girl slammed into the surface of the dojo, screaming loudly as the cheap walls shook under the force of her impact. A tall, intimidating woman with short, raven hair and a skinny body stood proudly over her, a iron sword with a gleaming, golden handle held high, the tip pointing towards the ceiling.

"_NICE, ONEESAMA!"_

The buff men dressed in an array of colors cheered wildly as their captain twirled the end of the saber, before pointing right at the girl's neck. The sharp edge pressed threateningly into her skin as she gulped, fearing even to muter a word. The separated sleeve of her gold and white shirt fell a little bit more down her arm as she tried to scurry away. The woman glared at her with dark-brown eyes, before they suddenly turned soft. She lowered a hand on her head, patting the girl's hair as she pouted.

"Still no good, eh Maiko?" The girl pushed the hand off her head before swiftly jumping to her feet, brushing dirt off her clothes. The older female watched with a faint smile of amusement as she watched her straighten herself up. Her badly dyed hair fell out of its usual _odango _style, the purple locks falling into emerald eyes. She groaned, getting on her hands and knees, searching for the ribbon, until she found it right behind the woman's heeled shoe- a gold, silky hair tie, which she promptly picked up.

"It was a surprise attack! Good, or no good, how did you expect me to avoid that?" she argued as she wrapped her hair back into the two usual buns, leaving the back out, which fell slightly past her shoulders. The woman _tsked_, shaking her head as she watched her daughter proceed to pick up the dropped laundry, and place them back in the white bin she was previously carrying, _before_ she was thrown into a wall. Their crowd had now calmed down, and began worrying for their _Ritorumisu_, the previous excitement and hype of seeing their _Senchou_ in mid-battle now diminished.

"And? You fail to see the honor in surprise attacks, Maiko! Besides, wasn't that fun?" The minute the girl narrowed her eyes, and dropped the basket, the Senchou realized she might have said the wrong thing.

"Fun? _Fun?"_ The girl repeated incredulously, mixed with a bit of anger "How is being slammed into a wall by your _Golden Flame_ fun? Now I have to re-wash all of the clothes!" The raven-haired roman rubbed the back of her head uncomfortably, before she suddenly got an idea. Punching the palm of her hand with her fist, she turned to Maiko with a large, sparkling smile.

"I know! Ask_ Otousan_ to do it for ya'!" The girl shook her head.

"_Kaasan, _didn't I tell you this morning that Tousan went to the village to buy food?" Her mother pouted, crossing her arms as her sword clattered to the floor.

"Eh? But he promised to take me next time!"

"The village people barley stand us living all the way out here, if you go into town carrying the Dancing Saber, well, we might as well just call the marines ourselves! Then again, I really shouldn't be taken in with you should I?" She squeaked when her mother suddenly took a step further, and pinched both of her cheeks. With an annoyed look on her face, she pulled them, the girl now donning a look that was childishly cute. She let out more noise as the woman pinched harder.

"What was that?" she asked in a scary voice. " I know that my oldest and only child did _not_ just verbally disown her family, and her crew, did she?"

"_Ah wan wahh an wa wew_!( I don't have a crew!)" her voice was muffled due to her cheeks being almost ripped off, yet her mother seemed to be able to understand her perfectly. She let go of the girl, who began to back up at the sight of the glint in her mother's eyes.

"_Wait... When did she pick up the saber?"_

"_GOLDEN FLAME!_" with another shriek, Maiko was once again flung into the walls, the freshly folded clothes falling to the ground like snow. Thank _Kami_ her mother used the back of the blade, or else she would have been a goner! Her only thought was that she wished her skirt wasn't torn, _again_, from her mother's rough treatment.

"Watch your mouth! You have had a crew since the time you were born. No matter what, you _will_ become Senchou of _Dancing Gold. _It's in your blood to become a pirate, no matter how much you whine! It's you're will of D.!" The forgotten audience shed a tear at the touching word's of their Senchou.

"I don't have a will of D.," she argued " My middle initial is H!"

"Says who?"

"Me!" Her eyes gleamed again, and Maiko prepared herself for another speech.

"Where is you're sense of adventure? The greatest part of being a pirate is the romance! Discovering different places, finding treasure, you could find anything you want!"

"If I become a pirate the only thing I'll never find _is_ romance! Who wants a pirate for a wife?"

"Apparently, your Otousan!."

"That's different..."

"How?" Knowing she was fighting an already lost battle, Maiko bent her head in defeat. With another war cry, the Dancing Saber was once again lifted into the sky, her mother striking her usual pose. With a sigh, Maiko picked up the clothing, coolly walking past her still posed mother and the weeping men.

"_Aikawarazu..." _She mumbled to herself as she dragged her feet along the long way to get outside to the lake, where she would re-wash the clothes at. She passed through the familiar, brightly gold-colored walls filled with pictures of her ancestors and previous Senchous, her mind unconsciously seeking out one in particular. Eventually, she came to a rather large portrait, framed in gold like the rest near the very end of the line, only before her mother's.

An old, wrinkly woman with warm chestnut eyes and dark purple hair tied into a loose bun grinned back at her, carrying a saber she knew very well. Maiko sighed, using her free hand to trance her outline.

"_Baachan..._ I miss you." She gave a small smile to the weary picture, then spun around, clutching the basket to her chest. She ginned up at the ceiling, a new, warm feeling of nostalgia bubbling up in her as she recalled past memories of the old woman. Suddenly, she was thrown out of her thoughts by the loud sound of crashing, something breaking, and a chorus of "_Good Job, Onee-sama!"_ before her Kaasan's maniacal laughter could be heard.

"_Yare, Yare." _shegave a lengthy sigh, before jogging off to wash the clothes, and begin on any other chores she needed to do.

* * *

><p>"QUIET DOWN!" Maiko winced slightly as her mother's assertive voice rang throughout the small eating area, immediately silencing any conversation. Everyone got suddenly serious when they spotted the sullen look on their usual cheery Senchou's face. She put down her fork and swallowed the her last bite of fish as everyone listened intently. Next to the Senchou was a very quiet, feminine looking man with tan skin, brown hair, and large green eyes that were slightly blurry. He had a dreamy and unfocused look on his face as he stared at the pirates.<p>

"When my husband went into town today, he found out some...troubling news... The village people have contacted the marines." Shouts of disbelief and outrage rang out. A mini-riot almost broke out as they jumped from their seats, yelling. The girl placed her bowl of rice down, and waited for the men to calm down, still chewing.

"Surely its nothing but _kaze no tayori_!" one shouted. The woman shook her had sadly.

" 'Fraid not. You all know what this means right?" a low murmur went through the crowd, and Maiko looked around in confusion. The Senchou gave a dramatic pause.

"We must... Send someone to chase them out!" Almost immediately, every head turn towards her. She gulped, fearing what will happen next.

"The Ritorumisu?" they asked. Her mother, with that cursed gleam in her eyes, nodded. Maiko automatically started choking, white rice spewing all over the place. Those who surrounded her either backed up in disgust of the flying food, fear that she may throw a fit at her new task, or began pounding on her back.

"_F-Fine_! I'm _FINE_!" she pushed the large ,meaty hands that were doing more harm than help off her, before shooting up from her seat, knocking over the food placed before her in her haste. Now _everyone_ around her moved away, knowing she was about to explode. She certainly looked like it too, with her face turning red and small hands clenched into fists, practically quivering in anger.

"NO!" she shrieked, her voice high and shrill " NO! NEVER! I WON'T DO IT!" her mother calmly cupped her hands over her ears, watching with mild amusement as her followers pinched their faces in pain, ye refused to protect their aching eardrums all for the sake of looking 'manly'. Ignoring her daughters loud protest, she casually turned to the man seated next to her, who was still smiling, and said to him:

"Ne, Otousan?" He turned to her, his face serene.

"Hai, Rimi-chan?"

"Do you think I'm being a little too...harsh on her?" Looking at his pouting wife, he shook his head, before reaching out a hand to pet her. She stared up at him with innocent eyes-something the fearless Senchou would never do before nodding, replacing her previous look with one of determination. Kicking one bare foot on the table, Rimi gave her daughter a cool glance, almost challenging her to refuse this task. Maiko took a step back, intimidated at how the aura around her mother seemed to intensify. The men all stayed still,, silent, watching with anticipation at the newest showdown between the Ritorumisu and their beloved Senchou. The only normal one in the entire room was Maiko's Otousan who sipped his green tea, eyes closed and enjoying the silence.

"You will go to where the General is residing." she stated with a tone of finality. " I don't care how you do it, but you will find a way to run them out. Understood?" Maiko ground her teeth together, using all the will-power she had not to say something stupid.

"_I probably look like a child_!" she thought bitterly, fighting to keep the tears that clouded her green eyes at bay.

"Understood?" her mother asked again, this time with a bit more base. Turning her head to the side, letting her bangs cover her face, Maiko quietly mumbled ' Yes, ma'am', before turning on her feet and departing, leaving behind her 'family'. Her walk was quick and rushed as she practically ran down the hallway, seeking the comfort and privacy of her room.

"_I won't cry, I won't cry, I won't cry..." _Her inner mantra seemed to fail as, regardless of her wishes, the clear drops, appearing almost crystalline in the moonlight, ran down her face before falling to the ground. Gasping for breath between her quiet sobs, Maiko paused for a while, wiping the tears away from her face.

"I-I-" she stuttered, barley able to speak between her whimpers " I _hate_ them, I _hate_ being born to a family of pirates, and I _hate _the _stupid_, disgusting will of D.!" she spat, turning the corner and kicking the door to her small bedroom open. It contained, and was limited to a small bed in the corner a desk, and a shelf, filled with books. Obviously, everything was centered around the color gold, yet nothing was actually really _made_ of gold. Strangely the only things that were gold in the Dancing Gold household were the frames surrounding every past Senchou's portrait.

Falling on her bed, Maiko bit her lip to stop her sobbing.

"_Don't be such a wimp!."_ She mentally chastised herself, slapping her cheeks until they turned pink. There must be some way to get out of this! She thought hard, thinking of every possible rout, every possible escape to avoid this oncoming danger. After cramming so hard her head hurt, Maiko slumped back down on the wight sheets and groaned. Suddenly, the yells of her mother and pounding on the door filled her ears. Grimacing, she stuck her fingers in her ears, blocking out the sound.

"_Baachan!"_ she mentally asked, sniffling" _What would you do?" _Ideas and plots raced through her mind, only to be promptly shot down by excuses and holes in the planning. Going through with this...It would only serve to solidify her situation. Once she did this, Maiko would be branded as an official pirate and their would be no way to get out of it! Gah, and she would probably mess that up too!

"_Wait..Mess up!" _She shot up, punching the palm of her hand with her fist. It was almost as if a bright light bulb just went off in her head. A wide, sly smile slowly slid its way across Maiko's face, and she started chuckling to herself, throwing her head back and letting it resound off the golden walls. The pounding increased, more voices joining in.

"Why didn't I think of it before? Aw, who cares? I'm a genius!" she gloated aloud, striding over to the door, pushing it open with the heel of her sandal. Her mother, accompanied with a good 1/3 of the crew promptly fell in, falling at her feet. Her father peeked around the corner, his soft voice somehow raising above the moans and groans of pain coming from the crumpled heap of people on the floor in front of him.

"Are you okay now, dear?" Maiko gave him a large smile, saluting her brand-new 'Senchou'.

"Hai! I have gotten over my brief bout of immaturity, and have properly prepared myself to carry out this task with the best of my ability!" immediately, Rimi easily pushed the huge men off of her, and gabbed her daughter's hands in her own, eyes sparkling.

"Honto?" she asked, disbelief coloring her words. Pushing back that nagging piece of guilt, Maiko smiled , giving her hands a squeeze.

"Honto!" The next moment, she was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. Awkwardly, the girl patted her sobbing mother's back, that previous feeling of guilt returning, now twice as strong. Choking out an awkward laugh, Maiko averted her eyes from the woman's sparkling gaze, opting to look at the wall beside her, scratching her head.

"Heh, heh..."

"Don't sound so sad, Ma-chi! You are now officially part of The Dancing Gold. Our legacy shall go on!"

"_M-Ma-chi? Ahhh, Kami-sama... I'm going to hell for this..." _Hands clasped on his chest, her father stared at the heartfelt scene with a warm gaze. Well, it _seemed_ pretty to the crew, but to any outsider with common sense ( which was _definitely_ lacking in this house), they saw an overgrown woman sobbing like a child while she clinged onto a uncomfortable looking girl who seemed to have something troubling in mind, all the while a group of muscle-rippling men blew their noses and wiped their eyes, next to a man who seemed so calm he could fall asleep any moment. Suddenly, Rimi let go of her daughter, and turned to her crew, fist pumped in the air.

"_Yoshi! Ikuzo! _Planning is key! We have the maps to the building, all we need is a battle strategy! Ruyi, get my jacket, Hana, go stake outside their headquarters, Iko, get me some Takoyaki! _Yes_, the ones we had last night-" Maiko drifted back into her room, closing the door to successfully muffle the energetic orders of her mother, received by the crew who replied with the usual '_Hai, Oneesama!'. _Dropping her face into her hands, she slid down the door, resisting the urge to scream.

"Baachan... I hope this works out right!"


	3. Chapter 3

" _Eto_... Kaasan, this thing is a little... _Uncomfortable _."

"Ah, but it's necessary!"

"Eh? Honto?"

Maiko tried to pull of the black leather that stuck to her like a second skin. An 'undercover outfit' was what her mother refereed to it as, a full-body, shiny suit with one zipper up the back, complete with a pair of black boots that went up to the middle of her calf. With her hair tied up into a bun, she felt a bit...weird. Though, uncomfortable _was_ probably the most appropriate word for her situation, it wasn't _exactly_ right. In fact, besides being a little tight, the suit felt perfectly fine. Perhaps, it was the fact that she was about to go out on a quest that's results would indefinitely break her mother's heart.

"_Ahhh, there's that guilt... I was afraid it decided to take a break!" _ Her sarcastic inner comment was in reply to that pang of shame she felt radiate in her chest after that last thought. Rimi clipped onto her belt a Baby Den Den Mushi, making sure it was secure so it wouldn't fall off. Maiko shifted her eyes to her father who was leaning calmly in the door frame, enjoying the sight of his beloved wife preparing their daughter for her first ever mission. After fussing over her black cap, her mother took a step back and looked over her work, hands clapped.

"_Kanpeki!_" She squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. " This is so nostalgic! It reminds me of when you used to be enthusiastic with you're destiny!" Maiko sighed, falling into her bed and crossing her legs.

"I feel a story coming on..."

* * *

><p><em> Six Years Ago... <em>

"_MINI-GOLDEN FLAME!"_

With a cardboard sword the small girl of about eleven years came eagerly at the waiting man, slashing her toy. Without even sparing her a glance from his book, the man placed a hand on top of her raven hair, effectively stopping the girl in her tracks.

"Oi, Otousan!" she whined, stubbornly refusing to give up."Come on, attack me! I want some training!" Realizing ignoring her now would be futile the man dropped the book on the table, and crouched to eye-level of his daughter.

"Ma-chan," he cooed, petting her head" Otousan is busy. Why don't you go play with Kaasan?"

"Its not playing! I'm serious!" She stomped her foot, pouting cutely. The man couldn't help but pull his adorable daughter into a hug, and she promptly snuggled up to his chest.

"A '_Daddy's girl' _, eh?" A voiced commented from the door. The man peeked over the little girl's head to see almost an exact replica of her- only taller and different eye color. He smiled at her, before picking the little girl up and carrying her over to her mother.

"Ne, Rimi-chan? What did you do that was so bad that Ma-chan is avoiding you." It didn't go past either of them the way their daughter tried to go away when her mother came. The woman shrugged, playing with the tip of her saber.

"You ask like I know. She asked for training, so I gave her training." There was a long, awkward pause.

"Rimi-chan?"

"Hai?"

"What _kind _ of training?" That's the part where he figured something was wrong. His wife paused for a quick moment, and only someone with eyes of a hawk could see that shadow of dread that went across her face for a quick second. The next minute Rimi was gone, and only her black hair could briefly be seen flying around the corner with a rest of her. Her husband sighed, before placing his daughter on the floor, and resumed rubbing her head. She glared at the floor, murmuring unintelligible words.

"Ma-chan?" he asked tentatively. Biting her lip, she raised her head to stare at him with tear-filled eyes." Listen, Ma-chan, you have to know that Kaasan does not mean anything bad, okay? She just wants to help you." Maiko wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Help me? How?" He sighed.

"Well, you want to become strong so you can be the Senchou, right?" She nodded. " Rimi is only being so tough on you because she is worried. She wants to know if you can handle it, so you won't be hurt in the future. Its- er- her way of showing she cares." She stared at him, mouth gaping.

"S-So... Kaasan cares?" He smiled, nodding his head. Maiko jumped up to her feet and ran towards the door, before thinking better and running back to her still seated father, and threw her arms around his neck, squealing.

"Arigatou, Tousan!" she then zoomed back out the door, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her father was feeling rather good with himself, and standing up, decided it would be good to continue reading his novel.

* * *

><p>"Ahhh, she was so lovely back then~~~ Practically gleaming with enthusiaism!" her mother said " In fact it wasn't until she went to that damned old woman-!"<p>

"Dear, I think that started a little before that..."

_Flashback _

They never realized something was wrong with her. Sure, sometimes she would come home looking a bit depressed, but they figured it was something unimportant, like she couldn't solve a problem. Their response would be a kind smile, and a pat on the back, usually accompanied by a "_Gambatte!"_ _. _ She would nod, before locking herself in her room for a few hours. They assumed she took a nap, as she was looking rather tired each day, perhaps exhausted from her lengthy walk.

Everyday, except for Sundays, Maiko would pack aI _bento_ ( "All by herself!" her Kaasan would gush), before grabbing her knapsack, waving her farewell to the nearby crew members ( "Have a good day, Ritorumisu!" was their reply) Before taking the trail down from the hill they lived on, through town, and to her school on the next hill over. She always assured her worried parents that is wasn't _that_ long, so they thought nothing of it. She never talked about what happened at school though, and it became shrouded in mystery.

It wasn't until the day she came home in tears, with torn and muddied clothes that they ever found out what happened. When she heard that her daughter was being bullied, the fearless side Senchou of the Dancing Gold came out, and she was absolutely murderous. That's where her husband came in, with his 'magic' ability to calm her down, which only they could do. She softened up, before carrying her daughter to the baths, and washing her. The very next day they took a trip to Maiko's school, and had a little 'discussion' with the teachers there.

After that no one ever dared to mess with the daughter of pirates. In fact, the kids completely avoided her. Granted, she was no means popular from the beginning, but this was just ridiculous. If there was such a thing as an invisible barrier, then whoever made it definitely chose their daughter for the test subject. Even the teachers kept a good two feet away from her. On a warm night lying in her bed, it was then Rimi came up with a solution to help their daughter with her destroyed confidence that was the direct result of embarrassment and alienation. She turned and glomped on her sleeping husband, roughly awakening him.

"Ne, ne, Ren-kun! A trip! A vacation! Lets send her to that damned old woman!" He groaned, blinking away the sleep-induced blur froom his eyes, gently pushing his wife off him. Ren sat up, the blanket falling down further to cover his lower half. Running a hand through his messy brown hair, he turned green eyes toward Rimi, who was bouncing up and down.

"Your Okaasan? Why?"

"Because! If you know her, you know she can brighten up anyone! Yahoo! I'm so smart!" She continued gloating a wide grin set on her face. He tried to think about the possible consequences of this decision , but sleep was quickly seeping back to the edges of his mind. With falling eyelids he smiled, nodding his head in agreement, before all hope for staying awake for even another moment was gone, and he collapsed onto his pillow, going back into his calm slumber.

The next morning, bright and early, he watched with a growing migraine as his wife straightened the bow on the back of his frowning daughter's golden dress, wrapping her knapsack around her waist.

"Now, Yorun-kun, make sure that Maiko is safe okay?" The terribly muscled man saluted her, eyes straight ahead and unblinking.

"HAI, Oneesama! This Yorun shall guard the Ritorumisu with his life!" Rimi clapped again, something that Ren quickly noticed was becoming a habit. Sighing, he waved a goodbye to his Maiko, and was shocked when she glared instead of the usual '_I love you, Tousan_' . He was a bit confused until she mouthed the word 'traitor' to him.

"_Ahhh, looks like shes mad at _me..."

"Aren't you going to give you're Tousan a hug?" he asked, opening his arms wide. She flinched, before running to Yorun and hiding behind one of his beefy legs. Ren shook his head and figured it would be best for her to 'cool down' first.

"Yorun-kun, please tell Maiko's Baachan that we send our greetings." He nodded before taking Maiko's hand and leading her out the door. Clasping his hands together in an imitation of his wife, he shut the door behind him, gazing at the back of the two figures, before they both disappeared around the lush, plant-filled corner, wondering how much his daughter's life could change within these few days...

" Ne, Tousan? How about some snacks?"

"Hai, Rimi-chan..."

* * *

><p>Maiko shyly peeked up from beneath her bangs, green eyes gazing at the striking woman, almost dazzling with how much intimidation she struck into the small girl with just one glance of her narrow, hazel eyes. Yorun, her last hope at a possible comrade had long been gone, avoiding the miserable gaze of his Ritorumisu that practically begged for him to carry her back home on his shoulders. How he ever was able to possibly gather all this with only one glance was unknown.<p>

Then again, anything was possible for a member of the Dancing Gold.

"I was not aware my granddaughter was mute." She jerked from the sudden break of silence, the husky voice surprising her. Biting the inside of her cheek, Maiko stubbornly refused to reply. Raising a slender eyebrow, Kimi patiently paced in front of the small girl.

"Such a plain appearance," she commented airily, inspecting her nails for dirt she knew was not there. Maiko made a small noise of offense, yet stayed quiet." Your hair is so flat... Oh, and your eyes! How dull and boring!" Wavering, she still bit her tongue, fighting back her words.

"And such tacky clothes!" That was the last straw! Besides herself, no one was allowed to insult her mother's poor sewing skills! Jumping to her feet, Maiko saucily placed her hands on her hips and raised her nose to the air, talking in a shrill, proud voice.

"Your clothes aren't any better! I mean, seriously, green and red? They clash horridly with your '_purple'_ hair! Tackiness seems to be a favored trademark of yours!" At the sight of the suddenly cool look on her Baachan's face, the girl instantly regretted her little outburst, smacking her hand over her mouth. The old lady slowly strode over to her granddaughter, face stern and serious. Maiko found herself slowly backing up, only to find herself back-to-back with the wall. Pale, thin lips curled themselves into a sneer, and violet eyebrows furrowed themselves in frustration. Kimi raised a wrinkled hand in the air and quickly brought it down as Maiko turned her face to the side, prepared for the strike.

She was greatly surprised when instead of smacking her, the hand instead pinched her cheek. She hesitantly open her eyes to see her Baachan's grinning face.

"What a smart, clever little mouth you have! Surely, you must be of my bloodline!" she quickly let it go, and Maiko instantly rubbed the sore area, which was now a bright pink. The old woman let out a hearty laugh slapping her roughly on her back. Being as small as she was, she was jerked forward, and would have fallen face-first on the floor if her Baachan didn't catch her, wrapping her arm around her waist.

"Ehh? A delicate one? Well, we'll fix that! How can a delicate person like you become the Senchou-!"

"STOP!" she yelled, covering Kimi's mouth with her little hands " I don't wanna hear it!" She pushed herself away, and ran to the other side of the room, taking cover behind a large chair.

"I don't wanna be Senchou! In fact, if you guys never became pirates that I wouldn't be so...so..." she trailed over, glancing to the side. At the sudden change in her expression, the old woman crouched down, and held out her hand.

"So... alone?" Maiko gasped, sitting back, clutching the fabric that covered the seat. She could hear the shallow breath of her companion, and pondered to herself. Was this one that she could trust?

"That's why they sent you here, right? Because you had bad experiences?" She stared blankly at the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. Though she said nothing, hear ears were listening intently.

"So what are you here for? For something good?" She made a small noise from the back of her throat.

"Baka! It doesn't take an idiot to realize that nothing good simply comes to you!"

"Then how am I supposed to have nice things, then?" She questioned in a soft voice. Kimi magically appeared beside her, and patting her bowed head, answered her with a large grin painting her face.

"You have to be the one to grab it!"

* * *

><p>That small vacation was one that Maiko never forgot. It was two weeks filled with absolute bliss- she had finally found a friend.<p>

Her grandmother taught her many interesting things like which mushrooms to eat, how to light a fire, how to pick a few locks... Yes, it never occurred to her that these were secret lessons on how to survive life as a Pirate.

Though, despite her Baachan's obvious disdain to her granddaughter's opinion of the 'family business', they got along together greatly. Often they would find themselves lost when taking the usual morning walk- in fact, that is how they discovered their 'special place'.

A lovely meadow, right near the ocean. A cliff it was, filled with lush foliage. Maiko often found herself rolling through the bright green grass and colorful flowers. They followed a routine- They would arrive, she would gush over the spectacular view, her Baachan would tell a story of one of her grand adventures, and she would wander off. She would frequently find herself gathering the beautiful blossoms, decorating her hair with them, and then throwing the rest into the light blue ocean water, watching as the wind blew them along cerulean waves.

"Ne, Ne, Baachan!" she would call, bounding over to the old woman who would lay sprawled across the ground, either staring at the sky or reading one of her many novels " Aren't these pretty?" Her arms would be overflowing with whatever she picked, various things that piqued her interest, or appealed to her young eye.

"Yeah... They are." Then Kimi would watch as Maiko threw them in the air, and spin around among the berries, acorns, and plants as if they were a magical rain. The look on her face was precious, absolutely delightful. It was times like this that she enjoyed her life, and the fact she decided to settle down.

But of course, all good things come to an end.

One the last night they were to be together before Yorun came to bring the Ritorumisu home. She had planned for them to have a night picnic- it was one of those 'special nights' when they stars were luminous and plentiful. A feast had been prepared, the meat cooked, and the drinks cooled.

Imagine her surprise when she arrived home from taking a quick trip to the village, only to find her granddaughter nowhere. Those were a frightful few hours. She had immediately dropped her hand-woven basket, running out the door and towards the forest. That's probably were she was; the only other place was the trail, and Kimi would have saw her.

Her hiding place should have been predictable- for a child, Maiko had a rather low amount of imagination and creativity- yet her Baachan's deducting skills were a bit dulled, as her worry greatly outweighed it. The forest was very thick, the sunlight casting a green hue as it was filtered through the leaves- that is, the small amount that could even get through.

After a while, she realized something was wrong. Despite how her emotions were a bit overbearing at this moment, she knew this place like the back of her hand- finding her granddaughter should have been a piece of cake! Gritting her teeth, she decided to stop looking blindly, and start using her head.

Maiko was a small child, and most small children shared similar fears like the Dark, Wild animals... In fact what kind of child would wander through a place like this when the sun was lowering so quickly? If anything, she would be hiding! With that thought in mind, Kimi began looking behind falling tree trunks, inside small caves, until there was no place left. She had gone over the entire area, even resorting to searching the house one more time.

Then it hit her.

Grabbing the basket of food, she sprinted out the house at an alarmingly fast pace for a woman her age, and to their 'special place'. Sure enough, her granddaughter was sitting on the edge staring out with a blank look in her eyes.

"Oi... _Oi_ , baka!" she called. Maiko jerked, as if she was just waking from a dream. With a soft, wavering voice, she spoke to he Baachan rubbing her eyes.

"I... I got lost..." she admitted, her arms dropping to her sides " I wanted to set up for the picnic but... but it suddenly got so dark... I was-"

"Scared?"

"Hai."

With a sigh, Kimi sat next to her, slipping her feet into the cold water. Automatically, Maiko leaned on her shoulder, letting out a small sob. They stayed there for a while, staring at the stars that beamed, seeming so close as if they could reach out and grab the gleaming lights in their eager hands. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted over to the small girl's nose, making her stomach rumble in hunger. With one look at her Baachan they decided to start the picnic, and enjoyed a delicious meal together.

"Here." she said, while they were laying down and staring at the sky. She swiftly pulled one of the three gold ribbons from the back of her hair, the purple strands falling out from their designated position and curling over her shoulders. Grabbing her granddaughter's left arm, she tied it around her, and let it go. Entranced, Maiko watched as the moonlight bounced off the reflective material, sparking a bright fire in her eyes. With an amused smirk, Kimi patted the girl's head, which was quickly becoming her preferred method of showing affection, and grabbed her hand, the other picking up the basket.

"Come on, now." she said smiling down at her " We have to get you ready for Yorun-kun tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Her death was a sudden event. About two years after her little vacation, they had received a message stating her death. She had apparently collapsed in the middle of the market, from a weak heart.<p>

Those were gloomy times. The childishly innocent Rimi had grown cold and distant, always sporting a sullen face. Even Maiko found herself shedding a few random tears at various times. She was depressed herself at losing her only, and closest, friend.

In fact, it wasn't until she received her Baachan's last two hair ribbons, apparently a gift that was ordered be delivered to her. It was then she decided that something must be done, to keep more of her friend with here. Therefore, one night when the house was deserted as her family was required to attend some meeting, she had sneaked into the room of Sarah, the Dancing Gold's disguise master. She had tip-toed past the one sleeping crew member left to watch after her, climbing the steps to the attic bedroom, before she opened the oak door to reveal a light blue and gold centered room.

She had found exactly what she was looking for in a case of various hair dyes set on a wall. Striding over to them she picked up the one dark purple she could and held it up to the light.

" _Hmmmm.._." she thought to herself " _This is a bit too dark._." She searched a bit more, before finding what she thought was the solution for her latest predicament. Another vile of dye, this one a lighter shade of violet. She stood on a chair and grabbed a mixing bowl, before setting it on the floor beside her other supplies.

With a steady hand, Maiko dropped a generous amount of the dark dye, then to lighten it up a bit, she carefully mixed in a few drops of the light shade. With a brown spoon she mixed them together for a few minutes, paying attention to any noise that could signal that something was coming.

"Why isn't it mixing?" she wondered out loud. Instead of brightening up, the two colors only seemed to float along with each other. Despite her persistent efforts, they would not mingle no matter how much stirred. Eventually, with aching arms she stopped, and leaned back on the balls of her feet.

"Maybe... maybe it will mix once I put it on my hair?" With that thought in mind, Maiko placed the tool next to her and began her job. Her hair... It had to be I exactly /I like her Baachan's. So, grabbing her next utensil, a small, black knife, she grabbed a fistful of hair, closed her eyes, and with held breath carefully cut her hair shorter. Slowly, she peeked over and saw that her once long hair now fell only to her shoulders. She sighed, and continued going through the rest of her head.

Finally, she was done with that phase. Her raven locks felt much lighter now, and as she ran her hands through her new hairstyle, she wondered whether the length was exactly right... Well, it would have to do.

Now, it was time for the hardest part. She looked into the pot once more at the dye, and gasped... She was really going to do this... Maybe she should wait?

" _No_" she thought, determination taking it's place in her heart _" I have to... For Baachan."_

_I love you, Baachan.._.

* * *

><p>"And when we all got back, this little brat-" Rimi jerked her thumb in the direction of her nervous daughter " had her hair all over the floor! Do you know how hard we worked to grow it that long?" Recalling her previous annoyance and exasperation, she picked up one of Maiko's books which rested on her oak desk, and threw it at her. Flinching, she put up a hand to block the incoming object, which bounced off easily and landed to the floor with a small thud.<p>

"Oh, and lets not forget the _color_ ! I mean, really! No matter what it won't go out. She just had to use Sarah's new perma-dye, which cost a fortune, by the way! You're lucky she didn't kill you right there." Sighing, she pushed her bangs out of her face, replacing her small frown with a wide smile. Clasping her hand's, she turned to her daughter beaming.

"Well, that was the past. We don't have to worry anymore,_ because_ -" she leaned down and pulled the girl into a warm embrace " You are finally accepting your Fate!"

"Eh-heh... About that, Kaasan..." Her mother paid absolutely no attention to her as she easily pulled Maiko off the bed and pushed her towards the door.

"Now, now, tell me when you get back! Can't let the window of opportunity pass, can we?" With one more shove, the young girl tumbled out of the door, and into the waiting arms of two crew members. Grinning, they informed her that the transportation to the lookout area was all ready and prepared. They proceeded to drag her, not noticing that the heels of her shoes were digging into the carpet as she flailed in their muscular arms, or hearing her mumbled protests.

"Wait..wait, _ KAASAN_!" she called over her shoulder " What am I supposed to do?"

"Leave it to luck!" was her simple reply.

And now, crouched knee-deep in damp mud, equipped with nothing but a few matches, gasoline, and a lot of ropes, Maiko peeked through the binoculars at all of the marines keeping guard. Letting it fall to her lap, she buried her face in her hands and let out a strangled cry.

"_Dou shiyou?"_


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I know I've been MIA, and A lot of you have been waiting, but I've left a message on my profile. I'm still sorting through stories.


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